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Glossary
Allsaints—all the Saints in Heaven, invoked as a unit. Not a deity, exactly; more like a collective apse—part of a cathedral behind the quire and altar (and Golden House, in Goreddi cathedrals), often with radiating chapels ard—Mootya for “order, correctness”; may also denote a battalion of dragons Ardmagar—title held by the leader of dragonkind; translates roughly to “supreme general” aurochs—large, wild cattlebeast; extinct in our world, but existed in Europe until the Renaissance binou—type of bagpipe, used in traditional Breton music in our world cloister—peaceful garden surrounded by a colonnade, where monks may engage in peripatetic meditation Comonot’s Treaty—agreement that established peace between Goredd and dragonkind Daanite—homosexual; named for St. Daan, who was martyred for that particular quality, along with his lover, St. Masha dagged—deep scalloping, as of houppelande sleeves dracomachia—martial art developed specifically for fighting dragons; according to legend, it was invented by St. Ogdo Golden House—model of Heaven found in the center of Goreddi cathedrals and larger churches Golden Plays—dramas depicting the lives of the Saints, put on by the guilds of Lavondaville during Golden Week Golden Week—cluster of Saints’ days at midwinter, bookended by Speculus and Treaty Eve. It is traditional to see the Golden Plays, walk circuits around the Golden House, hang Speculus lanterns, throw parties, give gifts to friends and charities, and make grandiose pronouncements for the coming year. Goredd—Seraphina’s homeland (adjective form: Goreddi) Heaven—Goreddis don’t believe in a singular deity, but they believe in an afterlife, the dwelling of Allsaints houppelande—robe of rich material with voluminous sleeves, usually worn belted; women’s are floor-length; a man’s might be cut at the knee ityasaari—Porphyrian for “half-dragon” Ker—council of dragon generals that advises the Ardmagar Lavondaville—Seraphina’s hometown and the largest city in Goredd, named for Queen Lavonda Mootya—language of dragons, rendered in sounds a human voice can make nave—main body of a cathedral, where the congregation gathers for services newskin—dragon who is inexperienced at taking human form and living among humans Ninys—country southeast of Goredd (adjective form: Ninysh) oud—lutelike instrument, common in Middle Eastern music in our world, often played with a pick, or plectrum Porphyry—small country, almost a city-state, northwest of the Southlands; originally a colony of dark-skinned people from even further north psalter—book of devotional poetry, usually illustrated; in Goreddi psalters, there’s a poem for each of the major Saints pygegyria—Porphyrian for “bum-waggling”; an acrobatic variation of belly dancing pyria—sticky, flammable substance used in dracomachia for setting dragons on fire; also called St. Ogdo’s fire Quighole—dragon and quigutl ghetto in Lavondaville quigutl—subspecies of dragon, which can’t transform. They are flightless; they have an extra set of arms and terrible breath. Often shortened to “quig.” quire—enclosed area behind the altar of a cathedral (or behind the Golden House in a Goreddi cathedral), where the choir and clergy sit facing each other on benches saar—Porphyrian for “dragon”; often used by Goreddis as a short form of “saarantras” saarantras—Porphyrian for “dragon in human form” (plural form: saarantrai) sackbut—medieval ancestor of the trombone St. Bert’s Collegium—once St. Jobertus’s Church, now a school in Quighole where saarantrai scholars teach mathematics, science, and medicine to those brave enough to attend St. Capiti—patroness of scholars; carries her head on a plate St. Clare—patroness of the perceptive St. Gobnait’s—cathedral in Lavondaville; St. Gobnait is patroness to the diligent and persistent. Her symbol is the bee, hence the skep in her cathedral. St. Ida’s—music conservatory in Lavondaville; St. Ida is the patroness of musicians and performers St. Masha and St. Daan—the lovers; often invoked in anger, perhaps because it’s safe— it’s hard to imagine paragons of romantic love actually smiting anyone St. Ogdo—founder of dracomachia; patron of knights and of all Goredd St. Vitt—champion of the faith; this one will smite people, particularly unbelievers St. Willibald’s—covered market in Lavondaville; St. Willibald is the patron of marketplaces and news St. Yirtrudis—the heretic; it’s an open question how there can be a heretical Saint Samsam—country south of Goredd (adjective form: Samsamese) shawm—medieval instrument similar to an oboe skep—old-fashioned beehive made of woven straw Southlands—three nations clustered together at the southern end of the world: Goredd, Ninys, and Samsam Speculus—Goreddi holiday on the winter solstice, intended to be a long night of reflection Tanamoot—dragons’ country transept—wings of a cathedral built perpendicular to the nave Treaty Eve—celebration commemorating the signing of Comonot’s Treaty, concurrent with New Year’s Eve Ziziba—very distant land indeed, far to the north; home to many strange beasts such as crocodiles and camelopards (adjective form: Zibou) (source: Seraphina glossary within the novel, used for informational purposes only) Category:Information